Web cutting device

ABSTRACT

A supplementary device mountable on a packaging machine is disclosed. The device includes mounting means for mounting the device on such a packaging machine and two web feed paths, each associated with a respective web feeder and with a respective rotary web cutter. The web feeders are alternately operable so that, when the reel from which a web fed along a first of the feed paths approaches the emptied condition, the respective other web feeder means is actuated and the first web feeder means is de-actuated. Each cutter comprises a first member rotatable relatively to a second member to bring mutually co-operable knife elements of the first and second members into co-operative action. The rotatable member of each cutter is a disc-shaped member provided with, preferably, four knife elements spaced at equal angular intervals around its periphery.

United States Paten [191 Schmermund Mar. '18, 1975 WEB CUTTING DEVICEPrimary Examiner--Willie G. Abercrombie [76] inventor: Alfred Schmermund62 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion,

Kornerstrasse, 5820 Gevelsberg, Zmn & Macpeak Germany 57 BSTRACT [22]Filed: Oct. 26,1973 1 A supplementary device mountable on a packaging PPN05 410,157 machine is disclosed. The device includes mounting I meansfor mounting the device on such a packaging [30] Foreign ApplicationPriority Data machine and two web feed paths, each associated with O t31 1972 U dKin dom 50096/72 a respective web feeder and with arespective rotary c web cutter. The web feeders are alternately operableso that, when the reel from which a web fed along a [52] US. Cl8833ll23845g, 883550837, 883563546 first of the feed pathsapproachesythe emptied c0ndi 5] l t Cl 823d 25/l6 156 tion, therespective other'web feeder means is actu- 83/303 5 285 334 ated andthefirst web feeder means is de-actuated. 1 0 care 83/349 Each cuttercomprises a first member rotatable relatively to a second member tobring mutually co- 56 R f Ct d operable knife elements of the first andsecond mem' l e erences bers into co-operative action. The rotatablemember UNlTED STATES PATENTS of each cutter is a disc-shaped memberprovided with, 2,768,690 10/1956 Roberts et al. 83/285 preferably, fourknife elements spaced at equal angu- '\l;la l:timoto lar intervalsaround its periphery i e 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 WEB CUTTINGDEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention-relates to asupplementary cutting device for use with a packaging machine forwrapping block-like articles in wrappers of material cut from blocks inone or more layers of wrapper, there is no provision for changing overthe supply of wrapper from one reel to .another, for example when thefirst reel is aboutto expire. It may of course, be desired to switchover from a first reel to a second reel at times other than when thesupply of wrapper'from the first reel is approaching its end, but thequestion of changing over does of course arise at the end of thecapacity of a reel, particularly where it is desired to continue theoperation ofthe packaging machine in a continuous production runinvolving the use of more wrapper than can be supplied from a singlestorage reel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there isprovided a supplementary device mountable on a packaging machine forwrapping block-like articles in wrappers of material cut from webs, thedevice comprising mounting means adapted to mount the device on suchpackaging machine, means defining a first feed path for a first web tosuch packaging machine, means defining a second feed path for a secondweb to such packaging machine, an individual cutter in each respectiveone of the feed paths, each cutter comprising a first member rotatablerelatively to a second member to bring mutually co-operable knifeelements of the first and second members into co-operative action,actuating means associated with each cutter to cause the respectivecutter to perform a single cutting operation when a web is presentbetween the respective co-operable knife elements and control meansselectably to de-actuate first drive means provided to pass the firstweb along the first feed path and to actuate second drive means providedto pass the second web along the second feed path.

Depending upon the design ofa particular packaging machine, asupplementary device may be constructed either to replace the supportmeans provided in the machine as originally designed to support a reelor wrapping material or other source of a continuous length of wrappingmaterial, or may be constructed to be fitted to the packaging machine inaddition to such support means. In the former case, the supplementarydevice is preferably provided with two spaced support means eacharranged to accommodate a source of wrapper material, for example in theform ofa reel, while in the latter case only one such support means needbe provided, since in this case it is possible still to utilise thesupport means ofthe machine itselfin conjunction with the supplementarydevice.

Guide means in the form of transfer bridge members, guide strips or thelike are preferably provided at positions along the respective feedpaths for the first and second webs, the guide means being locatable inany appropriate position in relation to the cutters.

Depending upon the requirements in any particular case, thesupplementary device may so be used in conjunction with a packagingmachine that only the cutters of the supplementary device are employed,so that any additional cutters provided in the packaging machine webs.Of course, only one web at a time is fed towards the packaging machine,but normally a second web will be stationary at part of the other feedpath, to be ready to come into action when the web currently beingemployed is about to expire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of supplementary deviceof this invention will now be more particularly described with referenceto the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a section in a vertical plane through the embodiment, andalso shows a substantial part of a packaging machine intended for thewrapping of cigarette blocks in lengths of wrapping material cut fromwebs, for example to form cigarette packages of the American type;

FIG. 2 shows a freewheel arrangement of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,in detail;

FIG. 3 shows a detail of the left-hand rotary cutter of thesupplementary device shown in FIG. 1, indicating in particular themanner of co-operation between the rack member and the pinion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. I, thecentral lower portion of the Figure represents components of a packagingmachine with which the supplementary device is employed, in this casethe supplementary device having the general configuration of an invertedU, placed over the illustrated components of the packaging machine.

Dealing initially with the components of the packaging machine itself, apair of rollers 15, which are driven in operation, define therebetween anip through which a web to be fed towards a cigarette block to bewrapped in the web is passed. Below the rollers 15 is a rotary cuttercomprising a knife element 16 rotatable relatively to a stationarymember 17, the members 16 and 17 being provided with mutuallyco-operable cutting means in the form of cutting edges extendingtransversely to the direction of passage of the web through the cutter.In FIG. 1, the direction of passage of the web at this position isvertically downward. 16a denotes a position of the knife element 16which is reached after a small degree of rotation from the position inwhich co-operative action with the stationary member 17 is obtained.Below the cutter of the machine there is provided a suction beltarrangement, comprising a conveyor belt 23 permeable to air, having aleft-hand run which passes downwardly over the outside surface of a wallof a suction chamber 24, the wall being provided with aperturestherethrough to communicate the internal surface of the conveyor beltwith the suction chamber. The reference numeral 25 denotes lateralguides for the conveyor belt 23'. Upper and lower guide rollers, atleast one of which is driven, support the conveyor belts 23 for itscirculating movement.

D denotes the top, and E the bottom, of a cut length of wrappingmaterial about to be utilised for packaging a cigarette block shown atP. 27 denotes a conveyor belt, 29 a guide piece, and 28 a pushing dogattached to the guide piece 29 and constrained to move in aright-to-left direction in FIG. 1, the guide piece 29 being arranged totravel in U-shaped rails (not shown). The rails prevent the guide piece29 from lateral tilting. The arrangement of the pushing dog 28 and theassociated components may be similar to that disclosed in either of myprior United Kingdom Pat. Nos. 920,311 and 959,804. The conveyor belt 27may of course, if desired, be replaced by a conveyor chain. Referencenumerals 30 to 33 denote guide members defining the intended path oftravel of the cigarette block P before and after its insertion into acavity produced by bending over the length of wrapper material DE. Ofcourse, a plurality of pushing dogs 28 are situated at spaced intervalsalong the conveyor belt or chain 27.

Turning now to the components of the supplementary device itself, in theillustrated case the left and right-hand parts of the inverted U formedby the supplementary device are symmetrical, so that only the left-handhalf need be explained in detail. The components of the right-hand halfof the supplementary device correspond individually to those of theleft-hand half, 100 having been added to the reference numerals in theright-hand half.

A web 136 passes through the nip between a pair of driven feed rollers1, and from there between transfer bridge members or guide strips 9 and10 to a cutter having a first member in the form of a rotatable discmember and carrying four cutting edges indicated at a, h, c and d inFIG. 3, each of which is selectively cooperable with a stationarycutting edge formed on a second member or stationary knife element 2.From the rotary cutter 2, 3 the web passes between further guide means37, 36 and 35, to reach the rollers of the packaging machine.

Thus, the pair of feed rollers l constitute first web feeder means forfeeding a first web along the first web feed path defined by the guidestrip 9 and 10. Similarly, the pair of feed rollers 101 constitutesecond web feeder means for feeding a second web along the second webfeed path defined by the guide strips 109 and 110. Each of these webfeeder means is coupled via a respective electro-magnetically operableclutch (not shown) to suitable drive means. The electromagneticallyoperable clutches are so connected in an electrical control circuit thateither one or the other, but not both, web feeder means is coupled tothe drive means at any one time. The change-over from the situation inwhich, say the first web feeder is coupled via its clutch to the drivemeans, to the situation in which the second web feeder is so coupled, iseffected by any suitable two-way switch or control unit. The controlcircuit for alternately energising one or other of the electromagneticclutches may be ofa kind well known to those skilled in the art, andtherefore such switch means will not be described in detail. The switchor control means to cause actuation ofa selected one of the first andsecond web feeder means and to cause de-actuation of the respectiveother one of the web feeder means may be manually operable, and/or maybe automatically responsive to sensing means which senses when one ofthe respective supply reels (not shown) from which the webs are suppliedis approaching is emptied condition.

a locating plate 4 of square configuration, shown in dotted lines inFIG. 3. A loosely rotatable roller 5 is in contact with the top surfacein FIG. 3 of the plate 4, and is mounted on one end of an indexingmember in the form of a lever 6, which is in turn pivotally mounted at 7relatively to a support (not shown). The lever 6 is provided with anextension beyond the pivotal mounting 7, on which a tension spring 8acts to urge the righthand part of the lever-6 downwardly, and thus tourge the roller 5 into contact with the upper surface of the plate 4. Tothe rotatable member of the cutter there is also connected a pinion 34,which has teeth around only a portion of its circumference, as shown inFIG. 3, the teeth being in mesh with a linear elongate rack member 12passing through a guide sleeve 14. Projecting from the rack member 12 isa locking bolt 20 having a square head engageable in a recess of alocking lever 19 pivoted to the guide sleeve 14 at 18. Numeral 21denotes a pivotal mounting at which an actuating rod 22 extendingsubstantially horizontally is pivoted to the locking lever 19. Theactuating rod 22 is urged, by means of a compression spring 23 actingtowards the right on an abutment flange of the actuating rod 22, towardsthe right, to urge the locking lever 19 in an anticlockwise sense aboutits pivotal mounting 18, and thereby to maintain the recess in thelocking lever 19 in engagement with the head of the locking bolt 20.This engagement prevents the rack member 12 from being raised under thetension of a tension spring 13 acting between a projection on the rackmember 12 and an anchorage on a stationary support of the device whichis shown only schematically in FIG. 1. An electro-magnetic arrangementM1 is provided to draw the rack member 12 vertically downwardly whendesired, against the tension of the tension spring 13. Similarly, afurther electro-magnetic arrangement M2 is provided to draw theactuating rod 20 in a leftward direction in FIG. 1 against the force ofthe compression spring 23, to release the engagement of the lockinglever 19 with the locking bolt 20.

A freewheel arrangement 11 is associated with the rack and pinion drive,this arrangement being shown in FIG. 2. In the view of FIG. 2, thefreewheel arrangement 11 is only effective to transmit drive from thepinion 34 (FIG. 3) to the rotatable member of the cutter when the pinionis driven in the clockwise sense, i.e. when the rack member 12 is movedupwardly (in the direction of the arrow 0) in FIGS. 2 and 3. When therack member 12 is moved in the opposite direction (the direction of thearrow shown in broken lines at U in FIG. 2), the freewheel 11 transmitsno drive from the pinion to the rotatable member of the cutter, and theroller 5 keeps the rotatable member from executing any rotary movement.

The control cricuit for controlling the selective energisation of theelectro-magnetically operable actuating means M1, M2 and M101, M102 tocause stepwise rotation of the rotatable members on which the knifeelements 3, 103 are mounted will not be described in detail since theconstruction of a suitable control circuit is well within the technicalcapacity of one skilled in the art. However, such a control circuit isarranged to periodically energise the electro-magnetic arrangement M2 toinitiate a working stroke of the rack. After the resulting incision hasbeen made in the web, the

electro-magnetic arrangement M1 is energised to cause the rack to beretracted to its latched position in engagement with the locking lever19. Thus, while the rotary cutter 2, 3 is operating during the feedof aweb 1 along the left-hand feed path in FIG. 1, the electromagneticactuating means M1 and M2 are periodically energised and de-energised inalternation with one an other. The electro-magnetic devices M101 andM102 are controlled, during the feed of a web along the righthand feedpath in FIG. 1, in a manner analogous to that which has been describedabove in respect of the electro-magnetic arrangements M1 and M2. Therespective control circuits controlling M1, M2 and M101, M102 arealternately enabled to control the respective rotary cutters 3, 2 and102, 102 in response to the actuation of the switch means controllingthe alternate actuation of the web feeders associated with thecorresponding feed paths.

If desired, 2, 3, 5 or a different number of cutting edges may beprovided on the rotatable member of each cutter. Furthermore, theco-operable stationary cutter parts 2, 102 may be replaced by freelyrotatable circular cylindrical rollers having flat external surfaces.

In use of the cutters, each cutting edge rotates to the positionpreviously occupied by the next cutting edge along the periphery, and inthis manner a single cut is obtained, without any snipping contributingto the spoiling ofthe clean cutting edge.'Furthermore, the cut involvesa sudden impact of the appropriate cutting edge with the web, so thatthe cutting action takes place quickly. This may also be the case when acutter of the kind disclosed in my United Kingdom Pat. No. 1,069,123 isused.

When the supplementary device described above has been fitted to apackaging machine, it is convenient to continue to utilise the cutter ofthe packaging machine as the main cutter, and to arrange the distancefrom A to C, which is equal to the distance from B to C, eachdistancebeing measured along the appropriate feed path, to be slightlyshorter, for example 1 to 2 mil- 7 limetres shorter, than the desiredcut web length, so

that when for example web 136 is about to expire and the cutter 2, 3 isactuated, the cutter member 16 of the main cutter continuing to rotatewithout interruption, then the trailing edge of the web portion cut offby the cutter 2, 3 will have just passed the stationary knife element 17of the main cutter when the rotatable knife element 16 reaches the knifeelement 17. In this manner, snipping of the web by the main cuttersituated in the packaging machine may be avoided, thereby avoiding anyspoiling of the clean cut made by the cutter 2, 3 in the supplementarydevice.

Although, in the preferred embodiment the means for switching from oneweb feeder to the other is electrically operable, equivalent means whichare are purely mechanical may be utilised.

I claim:

1. A supplementary device mountable on a packaging machine for wrappingblock-like articles in wrappers of material cut from webs, the devicecomprising, in combination: I

mounting means adapted to mount said device on such packaging machine;

first guide means to define a first web feed path for a first web tosuch packaging machine;

second guide means to define a second web feed path for a second web tosuch packaging machine;

first web feeder means selectably operable to feed a first web alongsaid first feed path;

second web feeder means selectably operable to feed a second web alongsaid second feed path; first cutter means disposed in said first path;second cutter means disposed in said second path; said first and saidsecond cutter means each comprising a generally disc-shaped memberrotatably displaceable relatively to a second member to bring mutuallyco-operable knife elements of said. first and said second members intoco-operative action, said generally disc-shaped member of each saidcutter means having a plurality of individual ones of said knifeelements spaced around the periphery thereof; means to urge saidrotatable member into an orientation relative to said member in whicheach said knife element of said rotatable member is spaced from theassociated one of said feed paths, said urging means comprising arespective polygonal plate member connected to each said rotatablemember and having a plurality of flat sides each in correspondence witha respective one of said knife elements on the associated one of saidrotatable members, said urging means additionally comprising arespective indexing member resiliently urged against the periphery ofsaid polygonal plate member; actuatormeans operatively associated witheach said cutter means to cause the respective one of said cutter meansto perform a single web cutting operation'on each actuation by saidassociated actuator means, said actuating means comprising means tocounteract said urging means thereby to cause said rotatablemember to berotatably displaced such that ,a respective single one of said knifeelements co-operates with said second member to make an incision throughsaid web, and interaction between said 'polygonalplate member, on beingrotatably displaced, and said respective indexing member causing thelatter to be displaced and permitting said respective indexing member tobe resiliently urged against the next succeeding flat side of saidpolygonal plate member after each incision through said web has beenmade; and

control means to cause actuation of a selected one of said first andsaid second feeder means and to cause deactuation of the respectiveother one of said feeder means.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein each said actuator meanscomprises a respective rack and pinion device, said pinion being coupledto said rotatable member, whereby each stroke displacement of said rackin a predetermined direction causes said rotatable member to be rotatedthrough a step displacement in a first direction.

3. A device as defined in claim 2, comprising a freewheel mechanismconnected between said pinion and the respective said rotatable memberwhereby said rack member is retractable with the respective one of saidrotatable members being disengaged from said rack member.

4. A device as defined in claim 2, comprising respective spring means toresiliently urge each said rack member in said predetermined direction,and respective latching means selectably operable to restrain said rackmember from being displaced by said spring A 8 ther portion immediatelyupstream of said common portion, said further portions including anacute angle therebetween.

1. A supplementary device mountable on a packaging machine for wrappingblock-like articles in wrappers of material cut from webs, the devicecomprising, in combination: mounting means adapted to mount said deviceon such packaging machine; first guide means to define a first web feedpath for a first web to such packaging machine; second guide means todefine a second web feed path for a second web to such packagingmachine; first web feeder means selectably operable to feed a first webalong said first feed path; second web feeder means selectably operableto feed a second web along said second feed path; first cutter meansdisposed in said first path; second cutter means disposed in said secondpath; said first and said second cutter means each comprising agenerally disc-shaped member rotatably displaceable relatively to asecond member to bring mutually co-operable knife elements of said firstand said second members into co-operative action, said generallydisc-shaped member of each said cutter means having a plurality ofindividual ones of said knife elements spaced around the peripherythereof; means to urge said rotatable member into an orientationrelative to said member in which each said knife element of saidrotatable member is spaced from the associated one of said feed paths,said urging means comprising a respective polygonal plate memberconnected to each said rotatable member and having a plurality of flatsides each in correspondence with a respective one of said knifeelements on the associated one of said rotatable members, said urgingmeans additionally comprising a respective indexing member resilientlyurged against the periphery of said polygonal plate member; actuatormeans operatively associated with each said cutter means to cause therespective one of said cutter means to perform a single web cuttingoperation on each actuation by said associated actuator means, saidactuating mEans comprising means to counteract said urging means therebyto cause said rotatable member to be rotatably displaced such that arespective single one of said knife elements co-operates with saidsecond member to make an incision through said web, and interactionbetween said polygonal plate member, on being rotatably displaced, andsaid respective indexing member causing the latter to be displaced andpermitting said respective indexing member to be resiliently urgedagainst the next succeeding flat side of said polygonal plate memberafter each incision through said web has been made; and control means tocause actuation of a selected one of said first and said second feedermeans and to cause deactuation of the respective other one of saidfeeder means.
 2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein each saidactuator means comprises a respective rack and pinion device, saidpinion being coupled to said rotatable member, whereby each strokedisplacement of said rack in a predetermined direction causes saidrotatable member to be rotated through a step displacement in a firstdirection.
 3. A device as defined in claim 2, comprising a freewheelmechanism connected between said pinion and the respective saidrotatable member whereby said rack member is retractable with therespective one of said rotatable members being disengaged from said rackmember.
 4. A device as defined in claim 2, comprising respective springmeans to resiliently urge each said rack member in said predetermineddirection, and respective latching means selectably operable to restrainsaid rack member from being displaced by said spring means, saidlatching means being releasable to cause said rack to be displacedthrough a stroke displacement in said predetermined direction by saidspring means.
 5. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein each of saidtwo feed paths has a portion in common and a further portion immediatelyupstream of said common portion, said further portions including anacute angle therebetween.